Cool Tools: Microloans

Previously, I’ve written about the microloan site Kiva, where you can provide interest-free loans to business owners in developing countries. After following a few links through Lifehacker, I stumbled on a fantastic review of microloan sites by Kevin Kelly at Cool Tools. If you’ve used any of these sites, I’m curious to hear about your experience.

Kevin writes:

My suspicion is that over time the inherent self-sustaining
qualities of micro-lending will mean it won’t need charitable support
to keep expanding. But the idea is still in its infancy; billions of
people are still out of its reach. That means that every dollar given
today will not only cascade its blessings on many others, but funding
micro-lending now will also greatly accelerate the time when anyone in
the world will have access to a small loan.